Survey of dietary habits in obese patients with type 2 diabetes treated with either OHA or insulin injections in Japan

A questionnaire survey on meal/snack intake and timing in obese patients with type 2 diabetes treated with either oral hypoglycemic agents (OHA) or insulin injections was performed in order to elucidate their dietary habits, using a method independent of the treating physician. The OHA and insulin groups recruited from all over Japan showed no differences in any factors except the duration of diabetes. Daily calorie intake was not correlated with gender, BMI, medication or HbA1c. However, calorie intake was the highest at dinner, followed by lunch and breakfast. Only for dinner was the calorie intake significantly higher for the OHA group than for the insulin group. Of the patients, 8.6, 4.2 and 1.3% skipped breakfast, lunch or dinner, respectively. However, there was no significant difference in the abstention ratio for the three meals or between the two treatment groups. It was remarkable that at least 90% or more reported the habitual ingestion of snacks. The snack time ranged from 6:00 a.m. to midnight. There was no marked difference in the proportion of patients having snacks between the two treatment groups. The outcomes such as deviations in calorie intake among the three meals, skipping meals and snacking in this survey may reflect the current dietary habits of obese patients with type 2 diabetes, especially under medical treatment.